So today I arrived in Lima, had to get up at 4am for a 7:30am flight. I arrived at the airport and suddenly realised it was very different from Brazil, which I had started to get used to over the last 2 weeks. So an awkward hour or so hanging around the airport while I got my head around what the local currency was (doh), where to buy a phonecard from, and then put my appalling Spanish into action to book a hostel. Luckily I found somewhere that spoke English, so I didnt really care where it was or what the facilities were like.
Its in downtown Lima which is not the best place to stay, but as I¨m only here for one night I figured it doesnt matter too much. The hostel itself is kind of weird but cool - I have a room to myself and a private bathroom, havent actually seen any other guests here but I¨ve heard them so sure I¨m not the only one...
I took a walk around the streets this afternoon to get my bearings. There are some cool old colonial buildings and some huge cathedrals and other buildings around a big pedestranised square which is great for people- and pigeon-watching. The city is less city-like than I expected. Well its full of smog and fumes and appalling traffic, but its kind of backward and tatty. The cars are all deathtraps on wheels, and the drivers have their own deathwish. Behind all the smog and smoke are some huge mountains which make the place feel quite wild. The sun was hot today, but now and then a lovely cool mountain breeze blows through the streets: welcome relief.
I walked for what felt like miles, had 3 course lunch at a great vegetarian restaurant for about 2 pounds, walked some more and bought some shoes which give me blisters. Eventually I gave up and came back to the hostel, but quickly realised it was gonna be a long night in if I stopped now - there are no windows in my room that I can see out of (the ceiling is double height and the windows are at the top), no tv and no company. So I consulted my guide book and decided to head out for some local food. The target - a nearby convent, where all the money goes to help the poor people in the area. Ready to eat and ease my conscience, I set off...
When I first walked past the door, I noticed a sign from the corner of my eye saying "We are open, ring bell". There were these huge heavy wooden doors and no clue what lay beyond. I walked casually past, summoned up some courage and turned around to go back. As I reached the door, an Irish couple had also got there and were just ringing the bell. I leapt on them, not literally, in excitement at someone who speaks my language. Turns out they didnt speak any Spanish either, so the three of us ventured in together as the big wooden doors slowly swung open...
Well first impression was - thank GOD (scuse the blasphemy) I didnt come in alone! It was a very creepy old place, with two massive dinner halls set... and not a soul in there. I asked the couple if they¨d mind me sitting with them, thinking if they say No I¨m right out of that door again. They were nice though and said they wouldnt dream of making me sit in the corner on my own while they laughed at my expense. Anyway the place was weird enough even with 3 of us. One of the nuns serving us got very excited when I said I was from England.. apparently she¨d spent a couple of hours at Gatwick airport once 7 years ago! This generated much interest with the other nuns who began to peer out from the woodwork. A little old nun came out to shake our hands, but insisted on speaking French which was even weirder. I dont even know if she was actually French as she only semed to know "au revoir" and "petis pois".
Still the food was pretty good, although hugely expensive by the standards I¨d set for lunch. Mind you I had a whole grilled trout which I somehow managed to eat without batting an eyelid, and it was absolutely delicious, with steamed potatoes, creamed spinach and butter sauce. Yum. Had nice conversation with the couple, who had done a 2 week whistle stop holiday in Peru and were due to fly out later this evening. We suddenly remembered reading that at 9pm, the nuns sing some song or another which would be too much to bear, so we rushed through our food and asked for the bill pronto. Luckily an unsuspecting couple came in just at that moment, and I think I overheard them saying they were from Paris, so the fake Frenchy nun wouldve had a field day. Finally we got the bill, left a nice big tip for the poor people of Lima, and got the hell out of there!
Tomorrow is my flight to Iquitos, into the thick of it now I think. So I´m off to bed early to revise my spanish and Peru section of the guidebook!
